Reasons Behind It
by ilostmyhogwartsletter
Summary: sequel to "There's Always a Reason." Draco and Hermione are finally together and Hermione's rebuilding her friendship with Harry. Will things continue working out for them?   Sorry, I'm awful at summaries.   **Rated M for Language! No smut yet?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, own nothing.

**A/N: **Hello everyone! This is the sequel to "There's Always A Reason." I got pretty good feedback on that story and I had some more ideas to go on so here I am! I hope you all like this one as well. Be sure to let me know whether or not you like it though- Review please. :)

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><p>"Want to play a game?" Hermione's voice suddenly broke the silence. Her and Draco were huddled together on a couch in front of the fireplace, the rest of the students had long since gone to bed.<p>

"Hmm?" Draco mused, raising one blonde eyebrow slightly. Giggling, Hermione twisted in Draco's arms so she was facing him, rather than the fire.

"I _said_," Hermione pretended to be annoyed, "do you want to play a game?" Smiling, Draco pulled Hermione back against his chest before mumbling his approval.

"What game do you want to play?" He asked, his voice husky with sleep. Hermione opened her mouth to respond before closing it abruptly and flushing. "Well?" Draco pushed, confused as to why she was blushing.

"Never mind." Hermione responded, sounded defeated. "You'll think it's stupid." She kept her eyes fixed on the fire, pointedly ignoring Draco's gaze.

"Mia," Draco whispered, gently placing his fingers under her chin so she'd look at him, "I won't think it's stupid. Now let's play a game." His soft smile grew larger as she hesitantly smiled back at him.

"It's called Twenty Questions- It's a muggle game." Hermione hurriedly explained at Draco's confused look. "We just go back and forth asking each other questions." Hermione felt herself blushing again but she refused to look away from Draco. "It's just... well I know you, but I don't really _know _you and, well, I'd like to." Hermione beamed as Draco agreed to play. "Okay, I'll start us off easy. What's your favorite color?"

"Midnight Blue." Draco answered, surprising Hermione. Laughing, Draco tickled her sides lightly, "Bet you thought I'd say green." Squirming away from Draco's fingers, Hermione nodded. "What's your favorite color Mia?"

"Green." Hermione mumbled. Not wanting to admit that to the Slytherin prince. Draco just smirked and wrapped his arms around her a little tighter, waiting for her next question. "What's your favorite part of being at Hogwarts?"

"Probably quidditch. It's the one thing, that in all my years here, I did for me. I wasn't trying to please my father, or impress anyone. I was playing because I truly enjoyed it and it was something I was good at." Draco smiled to himself at the thought.

The couple continued their questions late into the night, each question delving a little deeper than the last. Every few questions Draco would steal a kiss from Hermione, laughing as she forgot the question she was supposed to be answering at the time. Eventually the pair once again grew quiet, content to simply be in each others arms as they watched the flames dance in the fireplace.

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><p>Blaise woke alone in his dorm the night after the ball. Looking around, Blaise rolled his eyes when he saw that neither Theo's nor Draco's bed had been slept in the night before. Blaise quickly got ready and headed down to find his friends. As he walked towards the common room, he could hear various girls sighing and cooing at something. Blaise groaned. It was too early in the morning for some lovely-dovey whipped sap to be in the common room. When Blaise entered the common room, he saw Daphne and Pansy standing against the wall by the fireplace, both girls had very satisfied smiles on their faces, that is, until they saw Blaise. Looking at each other, the girls' eyes grew wide and both glanced quickly at one of the couches. Blaise followed their eyes and immediately felt the blood leave his face.<p>

"What in the bloody hell?" Blaise roared, as Daphne and Pansy quickly made their way towards him. On the couch, Draco and Hermione were tangled up in each other, fast asleep. The blanket they had been covered with had long been forgotten on the floor. Blaise felt his anger rise a little more when he saw what Hermione was wearing. She was in the same set of pajamas that she had been in the day they caught the couple snogging on the couch. The same short-shorts, and tight tank top.

"Shut up!" Pansy hissed, attempting to pull Blaise out of the common room. "Do not wake them up." Daphne was shooing the other students out of the common room, hoping Blaise wouldn't hex Draco too much.

"Not bloody likely! Look at them! He- He took advantage of her." Blaise was still shouting, and the girls were too busy trying to shush him to notice that the sleeping couple was no longer sleeping.

"Blaise Zambini." Hermione snarled as she rose from the couch. "I am not a fucking five year old. Draco did not take advantage of me." Hermione's anger radiated around the room, instantly silencing her three arguing friends. "_I asked him_ to stay with me last night, and it was the best bloody night I've had in a long time! We did not have sex. All we did was snog for crying out loud." Hermione walked closer to Blaise, jabbing her finger into his chest. "But if we did decide we were ready to shag, you had better realize I'm not going to ask for your bloody permission. If I want to do it, I'm going to do it. Merlin! I'm not going to have you threatening Draco or freaking out every time he touches me. I love him alright? Get it through your fucking head." With that, Hermione stormed up to the dorm, leaving four shocked Slytherins in her wake.

"I love her too Blaise." Draco spoke up, finally looking Blaise in the eye. "I would never do anything to hurt her, you have to believe that mate." Sighing, Blaise shrugged the girls' arms off of him and nodded.

"I know. I didn't mean to upset her, it's just, she's my sister. I just don't want to see her hurt, Drake." Blaise glanced towards the girls' dorms. "Can you guys go get her?" Blaise asked, turning to Daphne and Pansy. "I need to apologize." Nodding, the girls headed up towards their room. "I really am sorry mate." Blaise mumbled, feeling incredibly guilty for upsetting Hermione.

"It's alright Blaise. I can understand your reaction, you just need to get used to us. I'm not planning on letting her go anytime soon. I'm keeping her as long as she'll have me. I really do love her, Blaise." Blaise's reply was cut off by the girls sighing and Hermione rushing to wrap her arms around Draco.

"That's so sweet." She said, giving him a kiss on the lips. "I'm hope your ready to put up with me for a while then, because I can't imagine getting rid of you anytime soon." Laughing, Draco pulled Hermione closer and buried his face into her hair.

"That's great love." Daphne and Pansy were giggling in the background as Blaise tried not to roll his eyes. Draco was completely whipped, and Blaise could tell that he really did love Hermione.

"I hate to interrupt, again," Blaise said sheepishly, "but I am sorry Mya." Hermione turned to him, nodding.

"I know you are Blaise, but this isn't the first time we've had this conversation. You need to stop overreacting. I'm sick of having this exact same conversation over and over again." Hermione unwrapped herself from Draco and turned to give Blaise a hug. "You know I consider you my brother, but you need to relax. I'm only a few months younger than you." Blaise squeezed her a little tighter before releasing her back to Draco.

"Now who's ready for breakfast? I'm starving." Laughing, everyone else nodded and the grouped headed towards the Great Hall.

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><p>As Hermione left potions that afternoon, she headed towards the lake. She was the only one who had a free period since she refused to take Divination. Once she got closer to the lake, she noticed a familiar head of messy black hair standing near the edge.<p>

"Harry?" She called out, gaining the boy's attention. Smiling, Harry raised a hand in greeting as he waited for Hermione to reach him.

"I've seen you come out here before Hermione. I thought maybe we could talk?" Nodding, Hermione sat down along the water's edge, patting the ground beside her and indicating for Harry to sit besides her.

"How are things in Gryffindor?" Hermione asked weakly, unsure of how to begin the conversation.

Harry shrugged noncommittally, "Alright I suppose. A little lonely without you though, to be honest. Ron isn't exactly in my good books and Ginny's been too busy with her group of friends so I haven't hardly spoken to her all year. But what about you? How are you doing in the snakes' lair?" Harry asked, laughing.

"It's great Harry, it really is." Hermione smiled softly at Harry. "I know you find it hard to believe but I'm really happy in Slytherin." The pair laughed as Hermione realized what she had just said. "Never in a million years would I have thought I'd be saying anything like that."

"So you and Draco are good then?" Harry turned to Hermione, watching her face light up as he mentioned Draco. "I can already tell you are." He said quietly, causing Hermione to turn towards him, surprised. "You look happier than I've ever seen you 'Mione. I could never give you that, and I don't know if anyone besides Draco will be able to bring you that happiness." Tears came to Hermione's eyes as she threw her arms around Harry's neck. His complete approval and understanding meant more to her than she ever could have asked for.

"I love him so much Harry. I find it hard to believe sometimes, that he could want someone like me when he could have his pick of any girl here at school." Hermione sighed as she voiced her insecurities for the first time.

"Mione, you listen to me." Harry took her hands and looked into her eyes. "You are amazing, don't you ever doubt it. If you don't believe me, then look at Draco. So what if he could have any girl at school. Not only has he chosen you, but he worships the ground you walk on. He loves you too 'Mione. Even I can see it." Hermione smiled and leaned into Harry's side.

"I've missed this Harry." She whispered. "I've missed you, and Ron, and us." Hermione's smiled sadly as she thought of her broken friendship with Ron. She still wasn't sure if they'd ever be able to fix it.

"Me too 'Mione. Me too." Harry mused quietly as he watched Hermione rise and head back towards the castle. Their free period was up soon. It hit Harry that he was no longer one of the most important people in her life. He knew that he was still very important to Hermione, but now Draco and Blaise held the top spots in her life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, own nothing.

**A/N: **Here's chapter 2! Hopefully, this story turns out as well as the one before it.I'm having a hard time writing at the moment because of a terrible case of writers block. I'm so sorry it has taken so long to get this chapter uploaded, and I'm sorry if it seems a little forced.

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><p>It had been two weeks since the Halloween ball and Hermione's conversation with Harry. She was trying to spend some time with her Gryffindor brother while still seeing Draco and the Slytherins as often as possible. The Slytherins were also spending some time with Harry. The seventh years had midterm exams coming up in only a few weeks and Harry was the only one who knew how to handle Hermione once she entered into exam mode.<p>

"Hermione?" Draco asked cautiously. Dinner was nearly over and no one had seen Hermione since she had rushed to the library after her last class of the day. Spotting his girlfriend at her usual table, Draco ventured over to her; taking her frazzled, stressed-out look into account. "Love, you need to come eat some dinner and relax for a bit tonight." Draco did his best to keep his voice quiet and soothing as Harry had suggested to them all. Hermione's head snapped towards him, as if just noticing him in the library.

"Relax? How can I relax? We have exams Draco! I have to do perfect or Snape won't let me have the apprenticeship. Why can't you understand that?" Hermione cried out, gathering her books quickly and rushing from the library. Draco sighed, shaking his head and continued to just sit at the table Hermione had vacated.

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><p>Two hours later Daphne and Theo were searching for Draco without luck. Blaise was in the common room consoling Hermione, who had come out of her zombie-like pre-exam state and realized how terrible of a friend and girlfriend she had been. With Draco no where to be found though, Hermione was becoming more and more hysterical. Eventually, Hermione's emotional state and lack of sleep caught up with her and she fell asleep on Blaise's lap. As Blaise carried her up to her dorms Draco wandered through the portrait hole looking worn and ignoring the death glare being sent to him by Blaise.<p>

"Where have you been?" Daphne called out, annoyed. "We've only spent the last two hours calming down your hysterical girlfriend! We even had to take her to see Snape so he could convince her that he wasn't going to take away her apprenticeship. But you, Mr. Boyfriend of the Year, was no where to be found!" Draco ignored Daphne and stared blan yly into the fire, not even turning to her as she sighed and flopped down onto the couch across from him.

"Draco! What the hell?" Blaise shouted as soon as the dormitory door was closed behind him. Draco finally reacted to the three Slytherins around him and, turning to Blaise, Draco gently sighed before beginning to speak.

"My father is back and my mother is refusing to let me visit her in St. Mungo's." Blaise's anger immediately disappears. "And I've been informed that I will be expected to spend the upcoming holidays at the Manor with my father. I wish he would have just been thrown in Azkaban with the rest of his death eater buddies." Blaise, Daphne, and Theo shared a look before Blaise joined Draco on the couch and Daphne and Theo slipped out of the common room silently.

"Draco, mate, I'm sorry. Have you-" Before Blaise could finish his question Draco cut him off.

"Have I told Mia about it? No, not even a small part of it. How exactly do you explain something like this?" Draco turned back to the fire and the next time he spoke his voice was weaker and defeated. "How do I tell her about this without her feeling sorry for me? I want her to love me, not pity me because I'm damaged goods with a screwed up family."

"I think you are underestimating our girl Draco. She is a lot stronger than you seem to believe and I think you would be surprised at how much she can handle. But you need to tell her soon, and by soon I mean now. I'll go get her." Draco's head snapped to Blaise who had stood and was heading towards the girls dorm.

"Don't!" Draco cried. He hesitated slightly before continuing, "Surely it can wait until morning. Don't wake her up." Blaise shook his head and continued towards the stairs.

"Mate, I'm sorry and I know this won't be a fun conversation but it needs to happen. You can't put it off any longer." Then, without sparing Draco another glance, Blaise walked up the stairs and entered the girls dorm. Hermione was no longer laying in bed where he had placed her earlier but was now sitting on the window sill looking out over the grounds.

"Mya," Blaise began cautiously, "I need you to do me a huge favor and listen to me for a minute." He paused until Hermione turned her head towards him so he knew he had her attention. "You need to quit telling yourself that Draco was gone today because of you. It is not my place to tell you why he was gone but he is in the common room now and he needs to talk to you." Hermione, nodding, stood and headed towards Blaise and the door. Before she could leave Blaise reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her into a hug. "Listen to him with an open mind and an open heart Mya."

Hermione untangled herself from Blaise and headed down to the common room. Following swiftly behind her, Blaise slipped out of the common room leaving the couple alone. Hermione slowly moved to where Draco was sitting and gently whispered, "Dragon?" Draco raised his eyes to hers and Hermione felt her heart break a little when she saw the pain and the fear within their depths. Standing, Draco wrapped himself around Hermione, breathing in the scent of her hair when she buried her head in the crook of his neck. "I love you Dragon." She said, whispering the words against his throat. "I love you so, so much. I can take anything you need to tell me so remember that when I say I love you, I mean all of you. Everyone comes with a little baggage Dragon." Draco squeezed her a little tighter and whispered back.

"I love you too Mia." Pulling away so he could look into her eyes, Draco did his best to smile. "My dorm in empty right now, let's go talk in there so we don't get interrupted." He intertwined his fingers with Hermione's and led her to his room. Once there, the couple sat on his bed, draped comfortably around each other. Hermione realized that Draco was attempting to figure out how to begin so she remained silent- letting him talk as needed.

"I'm sure you already know that my father, unfortunately, was not put in Azkaban after the war. What you may not know is the reasoning behind why he remained a free man." Draco ran his fingers through his hair, ruffling it a bit. Telling this story was going to be even harder than he had imagined but, sighing, he continued. "He, like many others, claimed that both him and my mother were forced into doing Voldemort's bidding. Really though, the only one forced was my mother. At first, the Wizengamot didn't believe his story in the slightest considering my father was Voldemort's right hand man, but my father was able to use my mother's mental state as proof that the horrible things forced upon them had severely addled her mind and she needed him around to take care of her. Out of sympathy for my mother, after my father had agreed to give the ministry some gold every month, the Wizengamot cleared him of all charges- declaring him a free man. As soon as everything was in order my father checked my mother into St. Mungo's and fled the country. At the point it was too late for the Wizengamot to do anything about it. My mother-" He paused, closing his eyes and willing the tears to stay back and cursing his voice as it wavered once he continued. "My mother was tortured by my father and his lackies right before the war ended. She had never wanted to be apart of the dark side, and they knew she would turn on them in a heartbeat if the light side won. They then placed a memory charm on her. This memory charm had been created by the dark side earlier in the war and is selective, allowing the caster to erase only certain parts of their victim's mind. Snape has been working with the Mediwitches at St. Mungo's trying to develop the cure for it but so far they are not having any luck."

"I'm so sorry my Dragon. I wish your mother had been given the chance to be the mother she wanted to be without your father looming over her. I am glad you decided to share this with me Dragon." Hermione snuggled closer to Draco, making sure he didn't think his painful story was going to scare her away.

"I've wanted to tell you for a little while now Mia, but I wasn't sure where to start. Something happened today though, and with Blaise's help I knew that I had to tell you now. My father is back in the country and is expecting me to spend the upcoming holidays with him at the manor. It will be my first time staying at the Manor since I joined the light side and I can't imagine what he wants with me."

"Oh Dragon." Hermione sighed, unsure of how to respond.

"He also went to speak to my mother. I'm not sure what he told her but she currently does not want to see me. Snape is going to see her this weekend though and he is going to try to talk to her."

"I'm sorry Dragon, I really am. And I hope after speaking to Snape your mother will let you visit again. After all of this seeing your father again must have thrown her for a loop." Draco gave a bitter laugh.

"You know Mia. I was going to ask you to spend the holidays with me. I've been staying at a summer home that I used to visit with my mother. I don't think my father ever even knew about it. The home became our secret escape. I just wanted to spend the holidays with someone I loved in a place where I was happy." Clenching his fists, Draco snarled, "even know my father is fucking things up." Hermione calmly placed her hands over Draco's fists, smiling slightly when she felt him relax beneath her.

"I would have been so happy to have spent the holidays with you my Dragon. Nothing in the world would have made me happier actually but for now, you have things in your life that you need to take care of. We- we will have other holidays together, and hopefully this will be your last one with your father." Hermione smiled and placed a soft kiss on Draco's lips, pulling away before he had the chance to deepen it.

"I love you Mia. I never thought I'd be in love with someone, but sometimes I love you so much it scares me. I don't ever want to let you go." Draco moved back in to steal another kiss from Hermione, and this time she allowed him to deepen it. Shifting so he was laying over Hermione, Draco placed feather light kisses over her neck and jaw line before whispering in her ear, "stay with me tonight Mia?" He lowered himself so he was laying flush against Hermione before remaining still and awaiting her answer. Placing her hands on either side of his face, Hermione pulled Draco closer to her face and once their lips were just barely brushing, "Forever," she whispered before kissing him again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately, own nothing.

The next morning Hermione woke up bright and early. She was still wrapped in Draco's arms and a smile grew on her face as she recalled how last night had ended. Peeking out from the curtains around his bed, Hermione let out a sigh of relief when she noticed all the boys in the dorm were still asleep. Crawling out of bed, Hermione crept across the room and down the stairs into the common room. Turning around the corner and darting up the stair to the girls dorm, Hermione ran smack into someone at the bottom of the stairs before falling flat on her arse.

"What the hell?" She hissed looking up at whoever had been blocking her path.

"Well hello there my sneaky little roommate. We missed you in the dorm last night." Pansy sang smirking. "Where were you all night Missy?" Hermione just looked at Pansy and prayed to Merlin she wouldn't start blushing. She wasn't going to give Pansy the satisfaction; not when she was looking as smug as she did just then. Hermione's lack of response didn't seem to deter Pansy though and it only encourage Daphne who had come up behind Hermione.

"I can answer your question Pansy." Daphne began, trying not to laugh. "Our dear Hermione didn't see me sitting by the fire as she was sneaking out of the 7th year boys' dorm room. And I talked to Theo last night. He told me that Draco already appeared to be asleep but the curtains around his bed were shut and sealed." Daphne knelt down next to Hermione, indicating she was no longer talking to Pansy but directly to Hermione now. "You know, a simple silencing charm would make Draco's roommates believe he was asleep when really there were, well, other things going on behind the curtains." Hermione knew that no amount of 'Dear Merlin's' were going to keep her from blushing now. Clearly her two roommates knew exactly what had happened after Hermione talked to Draco about the issue with his father.

"Oh I can see it now!" Pansy exclaimed. "Our innocent little former Gryffindor has a certain glow about her doesn't she Daph?"

"I don't know if I would call her innocent Pans." Daphne and Pansy weren't even trying to hide their laughter anymore. Watching Hermione sit on the floor and blush was just too entertaining.

"Okay, okay, okay! I get it! You know that I was with Draco last night but there is one thing you don't know. We did _not _shag." Hermione said haughtily, watching the smirks fall off her friends faces. With a smirk growing on her own face, Hermione stood up looking between her two friends. "We made love." She hissed at the pair before dashing around Pansy and up the stairs to the dorm. She ran through the dorm and into the bathroom locking the door behind her as she heard the two girls squealing and screaming in the common room. Suddenly their excited squealing fell silent and Hermione ventured out of the bathroom to figure out what had caused it. Tip-toeing to the top of the dorm stairs Hermione froze when she heard Blaise's voice and Theo's snickering in the common room.

"Why in the bloody hell are you girls screaming about this early in the morning?" Blaise was clearly not a morning person... well at least not a 6:30 in the morning person. Hermione headed down the stairs, fingers crossed in the hopes that the girls wouldn't tell Blaise why they had been so excited. She forgot about Theo though and was shocked when he opened his mouth.

"They probably just found out why Draco felt the need to put on silencing charm on his bed, or at leas they just had the reasoning confirmed." Theo chuckled, looking at Hermione who had appeared at the bottom of the stairs blushing.

"Nott!" Hermione cried, her blush becoming more pronounced. Blaise's jaw fell open in shock, as he turned from Theodore to Hermione to Draco. He was surprised to see that Draco's cheeks were a little pink as well.

"You- he- last night?" Blaise stuttered causing Pansy, Daphne, and Theo to start laughing all over again.

"Now Blaise," Hermione warned walking over and grasping Draco's hand in her own, "am I going to have to get angry with you again? Because if you freak out at Draco then I will. Don't you dare ruin this. Last night was the best of my life so don't you screw it up!" Blaise just took a deep breath before he started laughing too.

"Mya, all I know is I don't want to hear about it, I don't want to see it, and I don't want to see you knocked up before graduation." His last comment sent the others into a whole new round of hysterics and served to brighten the blush on both Hermione's and Draco's cheeks. Rolling her eyes, Hermione gave Draco a kiss on the cheek before heading back towards the stairs so she could get ready for the day. Smacking Blaise on the back of the head as she walked past him, Hermione called back to everyone else. "I'm going to go get dressed. I'll meet the rest of you down here when it's time for breakfast." The other girls followed Hermione back up the stairs, only just them realizing they were still in their pajamas. As the door closed at the top of the stairs, Blaise rounded on Draco.

"Don't hurt her. I know you've had one night stands before, I know you've had fuck buddies, but I also know that she hasn't." Blaise held up his hand as Draco went to interrupt him. "No mate, let me finish. She gave you something last night that she can never get back and she can never give to anyone else. You haven't been with a girl like that before mate, and I just need to know that you understand how serious that is for her even if, in the past, it hasn't seemed to mean anything to you." Draco nodded, understanding that Blaise wasn't upset that he had slept with Hermione, he was simply worried that it wouldn't mean as much to Draco as it did to Hermione.

"Blaise, she means the world to me and last night did as well. Don't worry about it not meaning anything. Okay mate? I'll take care of her." Smiling, Blaise clapped Draco on the back before heading over to the couch.

"Fancy a game of wizards chess while we wait for the girls to get ready?" Blaise and Draco started a rather violent game of chess, while Theo watched from the side, laughing as Blaise got completed slaughtered. He never could beat Draco at the game, it was amazing he still tried.

About an hour later, after both Blaise and Theo had been thwarted in their attempts to beat Draco, the girls emerged from their dorm room ready to tackle the day. Being a Saturday, the 7th years were allowed to go to Hogsmeade even though it was a Hogsmeade weekend for the younger years. Since the group was going to Hogsmeade after breakfast the girls were wearing muggle clothes instead of their usual robes. Pansy and Daphne had both thrown on a pair of jeans and a cute top; Pansy pairing hers with a scarf and Daphne with a cardigan. Hermione, who was going on her first official "date" in Hogsmeade with Draco was wearing a midnight blue dress with some tights and a pair of flat gray boots. Smiling when the girls returned from their dorm, Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and, walking ahead of their friends, led the group down to the Great Hall for breakfast. On their way down to breakfast Blaise forced himself between Draco and Hermione causing them to release each others hands as Blaise threw an arm around each of their shoulders.

"So Mya, has Draco told you that your little date has to end rather early today?" Rolling her eyes at Blaise obvious excitement Hermione turned to him.

"Well of course he did Blaise. We are going into Hogsmeade for about an hour and then coming back here so Draco can get ready for the rematch between you guys and Gryffindor this afternoon."

"And what a rematch it will be!" Blaise exclaimed, looking like a child on Christmas. Blaise released Hermione and Draco before running ahead of them laughing. Shaking his head at the nut he called a best friend, Draco turned to Hermione.

"Speaking of the game, you should wear my practice jersey." He said, smirking a little as he thought of her finally wearing something with his name on the back. The way Hermione smirked back at him, Draco could tell that she knew why he wanted her to wear his jersey.

"I wouldn't dream of wearing any other shirt Dragon." Hermione replied, laughing a little. Draco laughed along with her as he wrapped an arm around her waist pulling her flush against his side. Noticing the smug look on his face, Hermione laughed a little harder as they walked into the Great Hall looking like the picture perfect couple. Distracted by Draco and the other Slytherins, Hermione didn't noticed the glare being sent her way from a certain red head ex-boyfriend sitting at the Gryffindor table.

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><p>The time in Hogsmeade seemed the fly by and next thing Hermione knew she was back in the dorm getting ready for the game while the boys had headed on down to the Quidditch Pitch. Pansy and Daphne we already set to go. They had on the jeans they had been wearing earlier, their house sweaters and scarves. The pair was bundled up knowing they were going to be absolutely freezing in the stands. Hermione, on the other hand, was far from being ready. The girls hadn't gone to the Quidditch games recently so this was going to be Hermione's first game cheering on the Slytherin team. For some reason that Hermione couldn't figure out, she was incredibly nervous.<p>

"Oh Merlin Hermione. Just put on a sweater and a scarf. You'll fit in perfectly with us." Pansy rolled her eyes as Hermione ignored her and continued ruffling through her wardrobe mumbling something about the perfect pair of jeans. Daphne stood from the bed where she had been sitting with Pansy and walked over to her own wardrobe. Pulling out a pair of dark wash, super fitted skinny jeans and a black turtle neck, she threw them at Hermione and shooed her off to the bathroom to change. Hermione emerged a few moments later looking incredibly self-conscious. The jeans hugged and highlighted the curves she tended to hide and even with Draco's jersey over the turtle neck you could see the hint of the curves on top.

"Turn around." Daphne ordered sharply, her tone causing Hermione to comply without question. Hermione stopped turning and looked at Daphne, waiting for her to say something. "You look so fabulous. And Draco is going to be so possessive once he sees his name on your back." Daphne stated matter-of-factly.

"He'll probably pull you into some dark corner and ravish you Hermione." Pansy said, winking, causing Hermione to turn bright red. In an attempt to ignore Pansy's comment Hermione walked over to the mirror and fixed her hair so the curls weren't quite so tight and frizzy as they usually were. The looser ringlets hung about halfway down her back and appeared much silkier than her hair usually did. After applying a little makeup, slipping into her black knee-high boots, and grabbing her scarf and gloves Hermione was finally ready to head down to the pitch.

"Oh thank Merlin!" Pansy exclaimed. "I was starting to wonder if we would ever make it down to the game." She said laughing at Hermione. "Daphne, we need to get ourselves boyfriends. Look at Mione all dressed up and cute for a Quidditch game." This comment caused all the girls to laugh as they made their way outside and into the cold November air. On the way to the stands the three girls crossed paths with the Gryffindor quidditch team who was making their way towards the locker rooms. Running over to Harry, Hermione threw her arms around his neck. Backing away she smiled,

"I would wish you luck but I'm not sure it's allowed." She told him laughing. Harry laughed too before tugging at her scarf.

"I'm still getting used to seeing you in these colors Mione. Nice jersey though." He said winking causing her to blush just a little. Hermione smiled to herself as Ginny smacked Harry upside the head, but he smile faded slightly as Ginny took a couple of hesitant steps toward her.

"I'm sorry I didn't stick up for you Hermione. I don't know why I didn't, but Ron was hurting at that was all I saw. Family instincts, I suppose, but still that's no excuse. I'm really sorry." Ginny was staring at her feet by the time she had finished speaking and Hermione wanted nothing more to forgive her. So, throwing her arms around Ginny's neck like she had Harry's, Hermione did just that.

As Hermione started walking away with the Slytherin girls, she called over her should telling her former housemates to have fun today. The Gryffindors were coming to realize that Hermione was exactly the same as she had been, even if she was wearing different colors, all of the Gryffindors but one.

"Wow Hermione!" Ron called from behind her. "You've only been in Slytherin for a few months and now your openly dressing like tease!" Hermione just kept walking with Pansy and Daphne, pretending the words hadn't stung quite as much as they did. She could hear Ginny hollering at her brother, something about being such an arse, and laughed a bit to herself.

Hermione made her way up into the Slytherin stands for the first time with Pansy and Daphne. Being on this side of the pitch was actually a bit intimidating for her. Noticing this, Pansy laughed, reminding Hermione that she had fought and helped defeat some of the darkest wizards their world had ever seen. Hermione began laughing too realizing just how silly she was being. Still laughing she cheered along with the rest of the Slytherins as their team flew out from the locker room. Draco, after flying around the pitch, flew straight over to Hermione who turned so her back was to him before turning back around and smiling at him. The girls had never seen a smile on his face so big as the one that developed when he saw his name on her back. Swooping down to where she was sitting, Draco pulled Hermione onto his broom. Squealing, Hermione clutched at Draco's jersey before screaming that he put her down. Before Draco put her back into the stands he pulled her in for a kiss causing a whole new round of cheering and wolf-whistles to break out in the stands. By the time Draco deposited Hermione back in her seat she was almost as red as she had been when Pansy and Daphne caught them snogging in the common room.

The game began shortly thereafter and Draco was forced to take his eyes off Hermione as he circled the pitch looking for that little gold ball. Every now and then he would like back over to where Hermione was cheering him on along with the rest of their housemates. He was trying to figure out if she had always been this enthusiastic about Quidditch or if this was something new when something hit him along the back causing him to fall from his broom. As he fell, he was certain someone began screaming before everything went black.

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><p><strong>AN: **Sorry about the (cheesy) cliffhanger. I know what I'm going to write next, now it's just a matter of getting enough content in with it to make it a whole chapter. I hope you guys like the sequel so far! (: And remember; Reviews refuel the author! Hahaha Thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: **Sorry this has taken me so long to post. I wanted it to be longer so between my busy schedule I was trying to add to it. It has since turned into a filler chapter instead. I'm on winter break now so I'm writing the next chapter and I hope to have it up later today. Once again, I'm sorry for the wait and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

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><p>As Draco fell from the sky, Pansy and Daphne's eyes were tore from him limp body at the blood-curdling scream coming from beside them. The terrified scream was being ripped from Hermione's throat without her even realizing she was the one screaming. The two Slytherins looked at each, both of them just as terrified as Hermione. Not only did they too have to watch Draco fall to a crumpled heap on the ground but they had no idea how to handle the girl next to them. Blaise, who was the first one to Draco's side, looked up into the stands and signaled for the girls to leave with Hermione. Pansy moved to pull Hermione into a hug, in an attempt to remove the poor girls eyes from the scene unfolding before them, but Hermione wasn't having any of it.<p>

"No! Don't touch me!" She scream, breaking away from Pansy as she began running from the stands. Daphne and Pansy were frozen for a moment, never had they heard someone speak with so much anguish and pain in their voice. Quickly the girls snapped out of it and ran after Hermione, following her out onto the quidditch pitch where teachers, along with Madame Pomfrey were trying to tend to Draco. Just as the girls arrived at his side, Professor Snape had conjured up a stretcher and was beginning to levitate Draco to the hospital wing. Seeing Draco broken and bloody caused tears to start streaming down Hermione's face.

"Mia," Blaise began cautiously, "shh, Mia. He is in the best hands there are, and Professor Snape won't let anything happen to him. Let's go to the hospital wing, Mia. I don't think they will let us in yet but we can go wait outside." Hermione looked up at Blaise, tears still pouring down her face,

"I can't lose him Blaise. I can't." Blaise remained silent, unsure of how to reassure her of something he wasn't even sure of himself. Looking sadly at the other two girls standing with them, Blaise just shook his head and began leading the distraught girl in his arms towards the hospital wing.

By the time the group arrived at the hospital wing, Hermione was pale and silent. She was no longer crying, instead just staring blankly ahead of her and walking where ever Blaise led her. This shutdown was causing the three other Slytherins to look between each other with worry. None of them even wanted to think of what kind of state Hermione would slip into should Draco not be okay. The doors to the hospital wing were shut and locked. Outside of the doors stood Professor Flitwick who knew a few minor healing charms should any student need assistance while Madame Pomfrey was occupied.

"I'm sorry you lot but you'll have to wait out here. Headmistress McGonagall has ordered that the only person be allowed inside be Mr. Malfoy should he arrive. Professor Snape notified him shortly after the group arrived in here." Professor Flitwick squeaked, casting a pitying glance towards Hermione.

"Of course Professor." Blaise replied calmly before sliding down the wall to sit on the floor, pulling Hermione with him. Pansy and Daphne quickly followed in suit, sitting on the other side of Hermione. Daphne, being the one directly besides Hermione, grabbed the hand that Blaise was not holding onto and began to rub soothing circles on the back of it.

Moments later the ever aristocratic Mr. Malfoy walked down the hallway towards the hospital wing. His arrogant walk a little more rushed than normal but nothing making him appear too concerned.

"Oh! Mr. Malfoy! Right in here you go." The tiny Professor quickly made a few complicated patterns unlocking the doors to the hospital wing.

"The girl is coming with me Filius." Lucius stated calmly, looking down at the pale, tear-stained face of the girl sitting across from the hospital wing doors. This comment managed to get a reaction from the silent girl, her eyes snapping up to meet Lucius- her surprised stare meeting his distasteful albeit curious one.

"Well... The Headmistress said... I mean..." Professor Flitwick stuttered, unsure whether or not to grant the request of Lucius Malfoy. Lucius pulled his eyes from Hermione and turned back to the Professor.

"The way I understand it is that the Headmistress is allowing family inside. I also understand that my son considers this girl as good as family, he loves her more than family actually." Lucius said, wrinkling his nose slightly in disapproval. "So if I'm allowed in, so is she." Apparently Mr. Malfoy had not lost his ability to intimidate and manipulate people into doing as he please. Blaise began to stand in order to help Hermione up but Lucius shooed him back towards the floor. Instead he extended his hand to help the trembling girl stand.

"Miss Granger." He said curtly as he led her into the hospital wing. Professor Flitwick stared after the pair confused before quickly shutting and resealing the doors. Draco hadn't told Blaise that his father was aware of the relationship with Hermione. Blaise couldn't imagine the elder Malfoy taking the news well that Draco was dating the famous, muggleborn, war hero Hermione Granger. Then again, he hadn't taken the news of Draco joining the light side very well either. Blaise settled back against the wall, too exhausted to worry about it, and prepared himself for a long wait on the cold floor of the castle.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Just a reminder- none of this belongs to me, and none of what I write in the future will belong to me. Nor will I make any profits off of it.

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><p>Most of the people surrounding Draco's hospital bed didn't spare the odd pair a glance as they entered the hospital wing. Severus was the only one who did and even his carefully schooled features registered shock for a moment. Lucius Malfoy led Hermione into the room with his hand resting on the small of her back, anyone who didn't know the man may have believed that he was merely providing comfort to his son's distraught girlfriend. Severus knew better though and eyed the pair suspiciously before turning back to the task at hand.<p>

Hermione could only think to blame the hollowness she was feeling for why she was accepting comfort from one of the men who frightened her most. She felt the breath forced out of her lungs at the sight before her. Draco was lying in one of the beds, surrounded by Professor Snape, McGonagall, and Madame Pomfrey. A few of the other professors were hovering across the room, they had been at the quidditch match and were waiting to see if their assistance would be required. Lucius dropped his hand from Hermione's back and strode over to his son's bed while she remained frozen in place.

"Well?" Lucius asked impatiently. "Are you making progress or should I take him to St. Mungo's?" He sneered at the older plump mediwitch who was currently in charge of his son's care but it was the Headmistress who replied.

"He is doing well Mr. Malfoy. We have him stabilized now, and is only unconscious due to a sleeping draught Professor Snape has administered. We needed him still while Madame Pomfrey healed him." McGonagall eyed Lucius warily as he placed his hand on Hermione's shoulder as soon as she moved closer to the bed.

"What is wrong with him Professor?" Hermione asked quietly. Her voice shook as she struggled not to cry. Lucius's grip on her shoulder tightened once again in comfort leaving all of the adults in the rooms watching him suspiciously. Professor Snape was the first one to look away from Lucius and reply to Hermione.

"He's fine now Ms. Granger. He suffered from a few broken ribs, a punctured lung, some minor internal bleeding, and a slight concussion. All of those injuries have been healed so now we must just wait for him to wake up." Snape turned his attention to the pale boy lying still and silent in the bed before him. When Hermione had first entered Slytherin Pansy and Daphne had hinted about the caring side of their snarky head of house that he didn't allow any of them to see besides Draco, and Hermione felt that she was seeing a hint of that side now.

"But when will he wake up Severus?" Lucius asked, sensing the question was on tip of the girl's tongue.

"It will be a few hours at least. Healing such massive injuries in such a short amount of time wears out a person's body, so the dreamless sleep I gave him, though it was a very light dose, will probably last a little longer than it would for an otherwise healthy individual. There is nothing more we can do here until then." Nodding at his old friend, Snape glanced again at the hand grasping Hermione's shoulder before he stalked from the room, his robes billowing in their usual fashion. The other professors began taking their leave as well until only Lucius, Hermione, Madame Pomfrey, and Professor McGonagall remained. Lucius was the first to speak.

"Well Ms. Granger, would you care to accompany me to the kitchens? You look like you could do with some tea." Lucius's question did not appear to be a request. Hermione had only a moment to glance helplessly at her former head of house before she was led from the room by Lucius.

The pair left the hospital wing in silence, paying no attention to the other Slytherins waiting out in the corridor, leaving the four students to stare in shocked horror at Mr. Malfoy's hand which had returned to the small of Hermione's back. He steered the still shaking girl towards the kitchens, not speaking until the pear had been tickled and the elves were preparing their tea.

"So Ms. Granger," Lucius drawled, "it would seem my son is quite taken with you." Hermione looked at Lucius, her eyes wide. "Oh yes, he has told me all about your little, ah, relationship." The word relationship sounded as though it left a nasty taste on his tongue. "My son in love with the mudblood. Who would've thought? But then again, I've never believe there would be a time where a mudblood would survive in Slytherin." Somehow, the smirk gracing his features appeared much harsher and crueler than the trademark Slytherin smirk she was so used to seeing.

"How dare you!" Hermione gasped, effectively cutting off her boyfriend's father. She didn't get to continue as Lucius let out a bark of harsh laughter.

"Don't be ridiculous you silly girl. The war may be over but a person's views don't change at the drop of a hat. I still don't fully believe my son's have. I hope you know he isn't capable of the kind of relationship you want. He may claim to love you but he knows nothing of love. I assure you our house was not full of hugs and kisses as he grew up. His mother won't even see him any longer and-"

"That is your fault you pompous bastard!" Lucius ignored this outburst and continued talking, "And, the only thing he has ever seen of love is what came from Severus falling in love with a know-it-all mudblood much like yourself."

"Your son is more capable than you give him credit Mr. Malfoy. He is wonderful, caring, brilliant, and he loves me- whether or not you believe it is possible is irrelevant. Thank you for the tea, now I'm going back to see Draco." With that Hermione thanked the elves, and flounced from the room heading back towards the hospital wing. She didn't bother to glance behind her as Lucius began slinking towards Snape's office.

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><p>Hermione brushed off her friends questions with a huff and a roll of her eyes before walking into the hospital wing. Professor Flitwick still didn't have the permission to let the other Slytherins in but after Hermione's entrance with Mr. Malfoy earlier, he didn't dare stop her. Hermione nodded and smiled slightly in Madame Pomfrey's direction as she pulled a chair over to the side of Draco's bed. Taking a seat she gently took one of his hands in both of hers and laid her head down on the bed besides his.<p>

"Dragon. . . oh my Dragon. You need to wake up for me love. I know they say your fine but I'm still worried sick over here. I need you to wake up and tell me that for yourself. You know, they say you will probably be sore and bruised for a while after you wake up- not that you don't deserve it for scaring me like this- but if you don't wake up and tell me where it hurts how in the world can I kiss everything better?" Hermione knew she would never be able to say anything like that to Draco if he was awake but she knew he would probably love it if she did. A slight cough caused Hermione to spin around in her chair, releasing Draco's hand in the process. She flushed as she looked at Professor Snape standing there with a smirk on his face.

"Madame Pomfrey sent me an owl Ms. Granger. She feels that I should try to wake up Mr. Malfoy here with one of my potions. But you'll have to remember that there are certain, activities, that you two will have to refrain from." He stated, flashing Hermione a knowing smirk. Blushing further, she nodded silently and back away from the bed to give Professor Snape room. She watched as Snape carefully poured the exact dosage of a bright yellow liquid down Draco's throat. Slowly, she moved closer to the bed and after a nod from Snape she again took up her position next to Draco's bed and waited for the potion to take affect.

"Come on Dragon. Wake up for me please. I want to tell you how much I love you, and I want to hear you tell me how much you love me. Besides, I want to hear your laughter when I tell you how I had tea with your father and then told him off." Hermione purposely ignored Snape's surprise and continued whispering things to Draco.

It took another hour but finally Draco's eyelids fluttered and he groaned softly. Ushering Madame Pomfrey over, Hermione smoothed her hand gently across Draco's forehead, jumping when he raised his hand to grab hers.

"Quit moving!" Madame Pomfrey scolded as she tried to hide her growing smile. Watching the pair interact warmed her, perhaps the couple was better suited than she had originally believed.

With his timing impeccable as always, Mr. Malfoy strutted into the room with the headmistress following shortly behind him. McGonagall paused at the door, giving the eldest Malfoy a minute to greet his son before finally allowing Daphne, Pansy, Theo, and Blaise to enter the hospital wing. After assuring that his son was fine, Lucius left claiming he had business he needed to return to. The group of students crowded around his bed and Draco could tell by the girls' eyes that Hermione hadn't been the only one crying. Draco winced as he turned his head to look at his beautiful girlfriend, and he noticed that once again she was crying softly.

"Mia?" He asked gently, he voice sounding rough and unused. She just shook her head, wiping her tears and handing him a glass of water.

"Sip it, Mr. Malfoy." Madame Pomfrey warned him quietly. "You should be fine now. I'll keep you the rest of the night and when I release you, I'll need to to just rest for a day or two. You'll be sore and bruised for a while I assume." Nodding once again the the teenagers surrounding the bed, Madame Pomfrey retreated to her office.

"What's wrong Mia? Don't cry please." Ignoring the pain in his shoulder Draco lifted his arm so he could rest his palm against her cheek, cupping the side of her face. Hermione giggled, even as a few more tears escaped from her eyes.

"I was so scared Dragon." She whispered, looking around at the others. "We all were." The group nodded in agreement.

"Like you could get rid of me that easily." He told Hermione gently, smirking as he did so. "Besides, I think I remember someone promising me that if I woke up they would kiss everything better. I know some places that hurt." He drawled, wiggling his eyebrows and winking at Hermione.

"Oi!" Blaise called out. "None of that!" Hermione simply laughed and rolled her eyes before leaning down to whisper in Draco's ear.

"I'd hit you if I didn't think it would cause too much pain right now." She stage-whispered, making sure all of their friends could hear her. They all laughed feeling some of the tension caused by the earlier events lift away but Draco had just one more jab.

"Oh, kinky are we? I like that." Blaise turned a little green at the look that Draco was giving his sister causing the rest of the group to laugh at the look on his face.

"Don't worry Blaise. I know plenty of silencing charms." Hermione winked at him, causing him to lose what little color he had left in his face.

"Good to see you're feeling better mate." was all Blaise said before turning and walking out of the hospital wing, leaving his laughing friends behind him.


End file.
